


Danganronpa: The Reign Of Despair

by AnimulusAnima



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Fan killing game, Gen, Gore, M/M, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Original Male Character(s) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-14 01:18:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15377538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimulusAnima/pseuds/AnimulusAnima
Summary: “The Reign Of Despair” will be a fanmade version of Danganronpa with a new story and new characters.Megumi Katakura, the Ultimate Ballerina, wakes up with no prior recollection of the school she awakes in. Soon she finds that she and fifteen other students are stuck in a game where killing is the only way out.





	1. Prologue Part One

A girl was sleeping on a desk, her head resting on her arms, in a deep slumber. Her hair was in a bun, her long light purple bangs hanging over her shoulders. She snored lightly, slightly moving every few moments to adjust her position. 

The classroom around her was completely normal, rough, wooden desks arranged in rows without any out of line. The walls had no marks or scratches, seemingly completely flawless. It was filled with the usual things you’d expect to find in a classroom, apart from the large camera in the corner of the room, watching the sleeping girl. 

The girl awoke, immediately opening her eyes once her consciousness returned. She stretched out a bit, and observed the area around her for a few seconds, not recognizing anything. After a few moments of stunned silence, she stood up. Her limbs still felt asleep, still sore from her uncomfortable sleeping position. She had to lean on the desk for a moment to regain her balance. 

She was confused, to say the least, walking around and observing the classroom she woke up in. She searched for any memories of how she had gotten in the unfamiliar classroom, and to her confused dismay, nothing appeared. In fact, she didn’t remember what she had been doing before falling asleep. With this information, her shoulders tensed, her whole body immobilized from fear and the nagging suspicion that something was terribly wrong. 

The girl tried to speak. She thought that hearing her own voice may bring her a sort of comfort. She repeated her name, and who she was, trying to recollect any information about the situation.

“I’m Megumi Katakura. I love dancing and attending shows. I live with my mother and father.” She said, staying the most basic information she knew about herself. She still couldn’t find any comfort in this strange new place, unable to think of anything but the uneasiness she had. She asked herself a few questions in her mind, but there was no obvious answers.

Megumi bit her lip, taking a final glance at the strange classroom, and immediately leaving when she saw a door near the other side of the classroom. She walked slowly, straightening her back, every step beginning to speed up. 

She wandered around the strange place, seeing that several rooms in what seemed to be a school were inaccessible. Yet, she walked onwards, trying to find an open door. Finding another open place around the school would probably give her more information about where she was. Finally, she saw two metal doors, both wide open, and heard what seemed to be several people inside. She hesitated to step in, afraid of who these people were and what they would do to her, but she used her courage to enter the opening of the metal doors. 

Inside were the sounds of people speaking, their voices frantically conversing. They seemed to be anxious and confused, by the sound of their loud voices echoing amongst the room. Megumi saw what seemed to be around fifteen teenagers around her age.

“Hello!” She shouted, trying to get the attention of the other teenagers, who were too busy with their conversations to notice Megumi stepping into the large room.

Immediately, all of them turned to Megumi, and all eyes shifted to her.

“So, a sixteenth student. That seems like a good number. And what may your name be, stranger?” A male with pale blue hair responded while walking towards Megumi, being the first to approach her. 

“Um, my name is Megumi Katakura. I just woke up here… And I am not aware of how I got here. Have all of you experienced similar occurrences?” Megumi answered, asking a question of her own. The fifteen people here seemed mysterious, strange, and untrustworthy. Did they kidnap her, to put her in this strange place? If so, then what did they want with her?

“Yes, it looks like we all experienced something similar. That was what we were talking about before you arrived. It all appears we are all Ultimate students as well. Strange indeed… I am Ryouichi Tanaka, The Ultimate Jiu Jitsu Practitioner. What shall your ultimate talent be, Megumi?” Ryouichi asked after introducing himself. He wondered about her, and who she was.

“I’m the Ultimate Ballerina.” She said, smiling brightly after meeting him. “It’s nice to meet you, Ryouichi.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well. How about you get to know the others as well?” Ryouichi said, pointing towards the group behind him. 

Megumi nodded, and set her eyes upon a girl in the corner, alone and not talking to anyone. She walked towards the girl as she straightened her arm and talked to the girl. The girl had silver hair, her bangs covering one of her eyes, and her hair completely in a braid, with light blue clothing covering her body. She was in a shy stance, her arms shielding her stomach and her eyes glancing around the place nervously.

“Hey, I’m Megumi Katakura! Who might you be?” Megumi announced to the girl, completely ignoring the girl’s isolation.

The girl jumped back in surprise, not aware of Megumi walking towards her. She straightened herself, a bow in a formal way, her braided hair fluttering behind her as she bowed. The girl then held out her palm, and smiled gently with a calm demeanor now present. The girl Megumi approached finally spoke.

“Sorry for being so oblivious, and not noticing you! I just tend to be in my own world sometimes. I’m Akiri Yamamoto! I am The Ultimate Ice Skater! It’s basically ballet, except on ice, isn’t it?” Akiri chuckled at her own joke. “It’s nice to meet you, Megumi!”

“Oh, no worries, it didn’t bother me!” Megumi responded, smiling brightly as she also chuckled at Akiri’s joke. She took Akiri’s hand, and shook it. “And you’re an Ice Skater? That’s amazing! I’ve always wanted to ice skate. It seemed so beautiful and elegant, but I never even stepped on the ice before slipping. I suppose it is not my forte.”

“When you’ve practiced ice skating for years, it gets easier to move around the ice. Maybe I can teach you once we get out of this strange place!” Akiri stated, grinning as she returned the handshake, and let go of Megumi’s hand. “You should probably talk to more people around here, I’m fine on my own. Thanks!”

Megumi nodded, and smiled at Akiri, glad to meet somebody with something in common. They both loved dancing, and it would be great to learn how to ice skate with Akiri one day.

Walking around some more, she noticed another girl. The girl had messy brown hair, tucked behind her shoulders, and a shirt with a pattern resembling a microphone. She noticed Megumi, turning to her, looking smug, with a smirk on her face. As she turned, the jewels on her face sparkled in the different lighting. The girl held herself with confidence, strutting around the place.

“Hey, I’m Honoka Tsukino, the Ultimate Voice Actress!” She said cheerfully. “You’ve probably heard of me, or at least my voice. I’m in a lot of shows and movies. There’s no way you haven’t seen something with me in it.” Honoka said smiling, winking at the end. Her narcissistic tone of voice indicating that she was definitely bragging. 

”Oh… well, I’ve probably heard of something you’re in! But… It’s nice to meet you, Honoka!” Megumi responded, feeling awkward about the situation now. She normally never watched any films or any shows, even as a child, and only saw live shows with dancers and actors. She tried to go along with what Honoka said though, trying to be polite as she nodded and smiled brightly.

“You must not watch many shows or movies if you say probably. I’m everywhere, and I absolutely steal the show in everything I’m in, after all.” Honoka said, mainly to herself this time, looking displeased, smile dropped. “Anyways, what’s your name?” Honoka asked, her voice firm, like a command. 

“I thought you heard my name when I introduced myself to everyone…” Megumi responded, questioning if Honoka was really paying attention. “But anyways… I’m Megumi Katakura, the Ultimate Ballerina. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, I heard. I didn’t really care, though.” Honoka said offhandedly. Afterwards, she stopped speaking. With her left hand on her hip, she waved goodbye with her right hand. “Bye.”

“Oh… okay then…” Megumi said as Honoka left to talk to some other people around the room. 

Megumi felt uncomfortable now, not expecting such a reaction after Akiri’s conversation went so well. She tapped her chin, thinking about who else to converse with. She decided to approach a boy and a girl having a conversation. The boy had short dirty blonde hair and long bangs, being very tall, while the girl was extremely short, her silver hair hanging down to her shoulders.

“Hello, you two! I’m Megumi Katakura!” She said two the two individuals, approaching them directly. The boy gave her an angry look and grunted, while the girl responded with an excited voice.

“Heya! Don’t mind Kazuki, he’s the Ultimate Veterinarian. He doesn’t like to be around many people. But I’m Haruka, The Ultimate Spiritual Communicator! My job is to talk to spirits that have passed into the afterlife.” Haruka said, introducing herself and Kazuki, while jumping up and down excitedly, her cape flowing in the air behind her. “Let me guess… Your grandmother passed away about ten months ago, and your grandfather a year before that.”

“Uh… how did you know…?” Megumi asked, feeling uneasy from Haruka’s strange observation. She decided to ignore that, and remained polite despite her obvious trepidation from her shaking body. “It’s… Nice to meet you, Haruka and Kazuki. Do you mind if I talk to some others around here?”

“Nope! There’s no problem with that! Thanks for talking with us. I’ll make sure Kazuki opens up soon. And I’ll keep talking to your grandparents…” Haruka nodded, winking while her voice remained ever mysterious, claiming to be speaking with Megumi’s grandparents.

Afterwards, Megumi left, finding someone else to talk to, a girl with long black hair, tied in a ponytail overhanging her shoulder, wearing a kimono in the colors purple and red, the same colors as her eyes. The girl smiled softly, elegantly bowing once she made eye contact with Megumi.

“Michiko Arisawa.” The girl said, finishing her bow. “I’m the Ultimate Matchmaker.” Michiko’s voice was quite pretty, as she talked like she was singing, but without instrumentals. “It’s nice to meet you, Megumi.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well, Michiko! So, you’re the Ultimate Matchmaker? How many couples did you successfully create?” Megumi asked, quite curious to how the job of a Matchmaker works. She tapped her chin lightly, thinking, muttering “hmmm” under her breath.

“I’d say somewhere between two hundred to three hundred. I don’t tend to count, although I could recall each couple. I still keep in touch with all of them.” Michiko said wistfully. “Would you like a match? I’m sure there’s someone you’d work with in this group! You seemed to have a nice conversation with the Ultimate Ice Skater!” As she talked, she grew more excited, seeming to be filled with passion when thinking about matchmaking.

“Uh… no, no. I’m alright. I don’t need a match right now, sorry.” Megumi answered, chuckling nervously while wondering why Michiko mentioned Akiri.

Michiko deflated slightly. “Ah, that’s a shame. Contact me if you ever want a match, though, Megumi.” Michiko smiled.

“Um, I will…” Megumi tried to remain polite, but she was very uncomfortable with the idea of being in a relationship right now. She curtsied towards Michiko, and wandered off while waving goodbye, hoping to talk to another.

Megumi saw a boy standing alone, farther from the rest of the group than everyone else. He had short black hair, and had dirt on his face. The boy wore large boots. Most of his clothes were covered by an apron, which had plants sticking out of it. Megumi and the boy made eye contact, and the boy seemed awkward, looking at Megumi, and then away, and then at her again.

“Hi! I’m Megumi Katakura, the Ultimate Ballerina.” Megumi said to the isolated male, feeling like he needed some company. She approached him directly, waiting for a response.

He smiled. “Oh, I wasn’t sure if you were trying to talk to me or not… I’m Yoshiaki Murakami, just an... average gardener.” He paused for a moment, seeming to roll some questions around his head. “Um —what’s being a ballerina like?” He asked after a few seconds.

“Oh… Being a Ballerina is fantastic. Performing in shows, teaching younger ballet students, making people fascinated and amazed… It’s fun and it’s incredibly worthwhile. I learned a lot because of being a Ballerina.” Megumi responded, and then thought for a moment. “Well, what about you? What’s being the Ultimate Gardener like? Or… a regular gardener, I mean?”

Yoshiaki nervously played with a strand of his hair. “It’s not as cool as your talent, I’d guess, but it’s… nice. My family has a garden behind the house, and I’ve spent most of my childhood tending to the plants. I love watching the plants grow, and arranging everything.”

“That sounds fantastic! I’ve always been interested in gardening and plants, but never had the time to pursue such interests. It’s great that you are able to be talented at something you love.” Megumi said, cupping her hands together while imagining Yoshiaki working in a garden.

“Thanks, Megumi.” Yoshiaki said, still smiling. “If you’d like, I could help you with gardening… some people think it’s time consuming, but it’s really not.“

Megumi smiled, and nodded at his offer. Despite Kazuki and Honoka seeming to dislike her, the majority of people here seemed kind. She smiled, and waved goodbye to Yoshiaki, wondering what gardening would be like with him.

She then saw another male. He had messy brown hair and brown eyes. He had a shirt referencing a show that Megumi had never heard of, and he wore his jacket oddly, looking as if he had put on his clothes in a minute or so. He seemed to care very little about his appearance. He also seemed to have just finished talking to Honoka, leaving Honoka looking very displeased, while the boy seemed fine.

“Hello! I’m Megumi Katakura. I introduced myself already, but here I introduce myself again. What did you do to make Honoka walk away like that?” She asked, looking at Honoka sassily walking away, seeming angered and exasperated.

“Oh, hello. I’m Shinichiro, the Ultimate Psychologist.” He paused, glancing at Honoka. “I pointed out that her arrogance over her skills was damaging for herself in the long run. I knew she’d react negatively, but I did hope she’d take it better, even if I knew she wouldn’t.” Shinichiro said dismissively, making an indecipherable gesture with his right hand.

“Oh, she did a similar thing when I said that I didn’t watch many shows or films. I suppose she is offended easily, I guess. I hope she gets better.” Megumi stated, not looking at Shinichiro, but at Honoka leaving. She obviously had the potential to be a good person, but her narcissism was preventing that.

“She just wants praise. Honoka probably wishes to feel validated, and she’s walking around looking for people to compliment her on the skills. Honoka perceives herself as better, and it probably feels like a slap to her face when others don’t think the same way. People like that, they secretly wish to please others more than anyone else. They crave approval.” Shinichiro said boredly.

“I feel bad for her, since being arrogant, and demanding praise won’t get her what she wants. I hope she’ll figure it out one day.” Shinichiro paused, looking solemn. “She probably will.”

“You seem to know a lot about her psyche. I guess that is fit for a psychologist, isn’t it? What have you observed about me?” Megumi responded, wondering what his answer would be.

“Hmm..” Shinichiro paused, thinking for a moment. “I’d say that you probably care a lot about the well being of others, seeing as you brought up Honoka, and then looked at her leaving, although I guess I think that from your demeanor, too.” 

“Yeah, a lot of people describe me like that. I wouldn’t say it’s entirely accurate, but I appreciate it.” Megumi said, remembering the moments where her anger overtook her, and how she sabotaged other dancers at times.

“Everyone slips up.” Shinichiro said immediately, peering at Megumi like he was reading her like a book. After a few seconds, he stopped. “Anyways, I think I’m gonna talk to some other people. The Ultimate Psychologist has to know what everyone’s like, right?” He then waved goodbye, leaving. 

“Alright. Farewell!” Megumi said, looking for more people to speak to. 

She saw a girl with long, blond hair tied in pigtails, overhanging her shoulders. The girl crossed her arms and lightly tapped her foot on the ground, while seeming to growl at the clock. Megumi hesitantly stepped forward, and approached the girl.

“Um, hello. I’m Megumi Katakura. You are…?” Megumi asked, feeling uncomfortable around the obviously irritated girl.

“Oh. It’s you. Yeah, I heard it the first time, sweetie. I’m Chinatsu Imai. You’ve been dying to meet me, right? The Ultimate Everything. Ultimate Inventor, and Ultimate Writer. The Ultimate Genius. But everyone calls me the Ultimate Baker. Which is fitting, I guess.” Chinatsu said, looking back at the clock. “When the hell are we getting out of here? It’s been fifteen freaking minutes since I got here, and I still haven’t found anything worthwhile.” 

Megumi quickly backed away, not appreciating the outburst of Chinatsu. She would prefer not to be around somebody like that, so she walked away to find somebody less arrogant and expressive. Suddenly, she heard a loud sound, and looked towards it.

After a few of the students introduced themselves, a large monitor high on the wall started flickering with an image, when the image finally became clear. It was a black and white toy bear sitting in a black chair, his short arms folded on a desk with several miscellaneous objects on it.

“Hello, hello, I am Monokuma! I need all of you to come to the gym immediately! It is near this room, with large letters above the door saying “gym!” You can’t miss it!” A cheery voice said, completely excited and exhilarated. It was strange to hear such a terribly cheerful voice in such a foreboding situation.

The students, not knowing what else to do, headed to the gym, all fearful of what was to come.


	2. Prologue Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Megumi learns just what Monokuma wants them to do, and meets the rest of the sixteen students.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! We want your opinion on who Megumi should spend free time with! Here’s the poll! :)  
> https://www.strawpoll.me/16123838

The sixteen students were all in the gym, chattering amongst themselves about the strange situation as they waited for whoever called them to the gym.

“When the hell is that stuffed robot toy going to show up? We’ve been waiting for ten minutes already! This must be a stupid prank or something.” Chinatsu yelled, tapping her foot on the hard floor as she crossed her arms. Everyone sighed, mentally agreeing with Chinatsu’s complaining.

“If this is a prank, then they certainly have bad taste in pranks. Jokes are meant to have action and comedy, not waiting around for a failed punchline.” Haruka muttered under her breath, crossing her arms as well. 

Everyone was completely agitated, confused, and perturbed about the entire situation. They were all inpatient now, even the people who were usually calm and tranquil. A tension arose in the room, as the group gathered around and waited for the supposed headmaster. Suddenly, a loud echo filled the room, a voice full of despair yet cheer, childish yet deathly, a voice that would curse them for weeks to come.

“I am Monokuma!” Monokuma announced, suddenly showing up on the stadium of the gym. He chuckled maniacally, his voice echoing around the large gym.

“What is this creature? I am not aware of such advanced technology being created…” Ryouichi muttered under his breath, as Monokuma appeared.

“Technology? This is a random plush toy that somehow trapped us here in this hellhole of a school!” Chinatsu said, yelling at Ryouichi as her hands formed into fists, and she charged towards the bear, getting closer with each violent step.

“A plush toy? Puhuhu~ I’m certainly not your ordinary toy, that’s for sure…” Monokuma said, not fearful at all at Chinatsu’s eminent attack.

“Chinatsu, no!” Megumi quickly rushed to Chinatsu’s side, and held her arm, stopping her from violently confronting the robotic bear.

“What the hell-“ Chinatsu yelled out, when she was interrupted by a loud voice.

“The Ultimate Ballerina is smart… Because obviously, attacking your headmaster is against the school regulations!” Monokuma chuckled, backing away and moving his arms into a crossed position. 

“How’s this teddy bear our supposed headmaster?” Honoka stomped her foot, looking pissed off. “Why not just tell us what’s going on?” Her voice wavered slightly, indicating that she was more shaken up than she wanted to seem.

“Now, now, everything will come to light within time…” Monokuma assured the students, acting like he was clearing his throat. “And I’m not a teddy bear! I’m a technological advancement leagues above what any scientist or engineer can create! I’m… Monokuma, the headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy, and the teacher of all you students, leading a peaceful communal life for you students to be together for the rest of your lives!”

The students were all taken aback after hearing the final words of Monokuma’s response. The idea of living in a strange school with a bunch of random individuals sounded preposterous, yet here they were, standing in front of a robotic bear, being announced they they were going to be forced to live here for the rest of their lives. Nobody spoke, and nobody was able to say anything, so Megumi decided to speak up for everyone, asking the question on everyones’ minds.

“We’re… supposed to stay here to rest of our lives? What do you mean, Monokuma?” Megumi asked Monokuma, walking forwards towards the stage Monokuma was standing on. She charged forward, prepared for his answer.

“I think he’s saying that we’ll all die here. Maybe killed, mutilated, disposed of.” A boy Megumi hadn’t met yet said, estimating what Monokuma meant. The boy tapped his chin lightly, as if thinking.

“Oh, no, no! I’m just saying that you all have to be trapped in this school for the rest of your lives! Unless… you graduate, of course…” Monokuma chuckled in a foreboding tone, his red eye glowing brightly as his sinister words filled the minds of the sixteen young students. 

The students trembled, wondering what graduation truly meant. The sinister tone, and the sinister expression of Monokuma were signs that graduation was something truly awful and horrible. Despite graduation meaning something related to success and achievements, this type of graduation Monokuma planned must be something completely different.

“Can graduation actually be truly defined as death?” The blue haired boy continued, seeming more eager about the last words Monokuma spoke than most.

“If it does, sign me up! I’m ready for death anytime! I’m dying to get to know more about this situation already, and thankfully, I’m not dead-set I’m getting out of here, unlike some of you!” A short male with longer, red hair said, making puns about deadly circumstances. He chuckled at his own joke, while the boy with dark blue hair next to him smiled, having a slight grin on his face. 

“Puhuhu~ Good guess, my students! Graduation means you get to escape from this school, and see the outside world once again. You can graduate by…” Monokuma paused, purely for dramatic effect. “That you have to kill somebody else, and not be discovered for it… After all, this is a killing game”

The word “kill” shook the students’ hearts and minds, completely changing the situation. What was this killing game mentioned? A game was meant to be something for recreation and entertainment, not a forced trade by in which they’d have to kill each other. One of the students laughed awkwardly, as if denying the situation completely. Some of them just looked shocked, unable to think clearly due to fear. Others looked angry, and confused about the entire thing. 

Megumi stayed still, trying to not let the words of Monokuma get to her. She was determined to get answers, so she still charged forward, and stepped into the stage, approaching Monokuma directly.

“Please give us a clear explanation, Monokuma. Tell us what this killing game you’ve planned is.” Megumi said, bravely asking about the game Monokuma planned.

“Oh, well, it looks like we have a brave one here! Well, Megumi Katakura, I’ll give a full explanation of the whole system here!” Monokuma replied, prepared to explain everything.

“All of you will be living here in peace and harmony, not allowed to escape, still with all of the things you’d need to successfully live your lives. All of you will be restricted under a set of rules, and if one of you breaks those rules, you will be punished.” Monokuma announced, explaining everything clearly.

“Is this punishment also truly defined as death?” The same boy piped up, seeming to be very interested in saying what everyone was thinking but no one actually wanted to verbalize.

“Yes, yes, it is! Here, let me give you these. They all have the rules you are restricted by, and will give you extra information about everything here! These are the Monopads!” Monokuma announced.

He pushed a button from a remote control he pulled out from behind him. Suddenly, a panel opened, and sixteen devices were revealed. Monokuma picked them up, and threw them at the students. Some successfully caught them, but those who didn’t just picked up the devices from the ground.

“Ah! What are these…? Some sort of tablet it looks like… It says my name, my age, and my gender when I turn it on… It has apps like note-taking, a map of the school, information about other students, and the school regulations.” Akiri said, observing the monopad as she turned it on and looked through it quickly.

“They must have been spying on us before we got here.” Shinichiro said from the corner of the room, seeming both perturbed and disturbed while he also scrolled through the monopad.

“No, there was no spying involved… Puhuhu~” Monokuma chuckled with a sound that seemed to be his signature laugh, as he continued on describing things about the school rules. 

“Remember what I told you guys earlier? About graduation? Well, it has a catch. If you kill somebody in order to escape, you must also not be discovered! After a murder takes place, students will have time to investigate the crime, take notes of any evidence they find, and have a class trial!” Monokuma explained. 

“Class trials are where the remaining survivors can debate with each other about the evidence they find, and eventually find the killer! A vote will take place, and if the killer is not voted for by the majority, then they will escape, while the remaining students are killed off! However, if the remaining students vote the killer correctly, only the killer will be killed off, or more specifically, executed!” Monokuma finished his speech, describing the basic rules of a murder.

Shinichiro grimaced, looking pensive. His hand rested on his chin. He seemed to be thinking. “And if that continues until only two of us are left?”

“Yes, what happens when two people are remaining within the school? They would automatically know the true malefactor who committed the crime, and the votes will simply result in a tie…” Ryouichi stated, thinking about the obvious problem if two were left remaining.

“Well, it that happens, then both of those students are permitted to escape this place! We can’t have a tie, can we?” Monokuma laughed, bringing his paws to his mouth as his maniacal laugh echoed among the large gymnasium.

“What if someone here killed everyone here immediately until only two are left standing?” Shinichiro continued, asking more questions.

“Oh no, that can’t happen! A culprit is only permitted to kill only two people, it’s right there in the rules! All your questions can be answered there!” Monokuma answered, pointing to the monopads each student held.

Shinichiro paused asking, seeming to have gotten all of the information he needed. He relaxed slightly, looking away from Monokuma as he checked the monopad he was given.

“Now, since I have given you all the information you need, I must say goodbye! Farewell, my miraculous students! Get to murdering!” Monokuma yelled out, as he disappeared.

The students were left in complete confusion, and they were all scared, angry, shocked, emotions all coalescing and conflicting amongst the chaos of the mind. They had no idea how to react, or what to think. They were suspicious of everyone around them, cautiously looking around, still in a conflicted mindset. Only Megumi was able to say something while everyone was stationary, glaring at everyone around them. Megumi stood on stage, and started her speech.

“Everyone, calm down! We shouldn’t let fear get to us! It’ll only make the situation worse! Everyone, let’s explore the school and look around, and meet back here to share our findings!” Megumi announced. She wanted to motivate everyone, and use this opportunity to use her leadership skills that she collected over the years.

“A good plan, Megumi. Thank you.” Ryouichi stated, his demeanor completely calm and unaffected by Monokuma’s words. 

“Do you agree, everyone?” Megumi asked the fifteen students ahead of her.

Despite some hesitance and reluctance, everyone eventually agreed with Megumi’s stratagem, feeling satisfied with the temporary plan she had to deal with the situation. With grace, Megumi jumped off the stage and landed on her toes, self-assured and confident. Everyone started to look around the school, and Megumi headed off.

First, she saw two large doors side by side, and a sign next to them of common utensils. It was obviously the dining hall. She went inside, and found a young-looking girl eating in the dining hall’s kitchen, candy wrappers covering the floor. What she noticed immediately afterwards was that her whole outfit was littered in clips and bows, with bright colors. Most of her accessories seemed like cheap toys. Megumi decided to ask what the girl was doing.

“Eating candy!” She said cheerfully, popping another candy into her mouth. “Eating it before anyone else can lay a hand on my candy!” The girl paused, smiling cheerfully, but seeming to drip malicious energy. “I’m Asako Minamoto! I’m the Ultimate Toy Maker!” She jumped around with chocolate in her mouth, gulping it down. What she said was barely able to be made out because of the food in her mouth.

Asako was about to grab one more, when she suddenly realized that she had eaten everything in the box. Her face went pale, and she made a whining noise. Her small stature and childish, bright clothes made her seem like an actual child.

“Why is there only one box? This isn’t fair! Why not buy a hundred? They know that this is my favorite kind of candy, right?” She shouted, looking half like she was on the verge of tears, but more so on the verge of screaming.

“Wait, calm down, calm down! There… must be more around here somewhere, right? Don’t worry! You can find more candy. What’s your name?” Megumi barely knew how to react. She had trained very young kids before, but never had to handle somebody this childish. She tried to calm the girl, but to no avail. She didn’t hear the first time the girl said her name, due to the food she had in her mouth.

“I already told you!” Asako screamed suddenly, her mind suddenly fixating on this, and forgetting all about the candy. “I’m Asako Minamoto, The Ultimate Toy Maker! And if you forget it again, you’ll have to beg on your knees for forgiveness!” She screamed.

“Alright, it’s alright! My apologies for not hearing you the first time!” Megumi said, barely able to comprehend the childishness of the girl.

“You better feel sorry!” Asako said, seemingly having no recollection of her candy having ran out, grabbing a lollipop.

“I’m going to talk to more people, okay? Is that alright?” Megumi asked, not wanting the girl to be upset.

“You better get out!” She said, walking away from Megumi, clearly very angry.

Megumi walked out of the dining hall and back into the hallway, muttering under her breath, obviously exasperated, “Yeah. I hate her. Why is a teenager so childish?”

Next, Megumi headed to the video room within the school, and found another student observing the several video players and the documentaries lined on the shelves. The room was completely filled with hundreds of movies, documentaries, and music CDs, shelves aligned with supposedly hundreds of said items. It appeared that nearly every film or soundtrack in the country was within the room. After investigating the room for a few minutes, she decided to talk to the boy that was also investigating.

“Hey! I’m Megumi Katakura, The Ultimate Ballerina, but I suppose you know that already. What is your name?” Megumi asked, curious about the boy she introduced herself to. 

“Katsu Ito. Ultimate Movie Critic.” He put out his hand to shake, turning away from the DVD he had been looking at. “Nice to finally meet you, Megumi.”

“Oh, so that’s why you’ve been looking at the movies and documentaries for so long! What’s it like being a critic of movies? I’ve heard they’re usually harsh…” Megumi said, remembering the reputation critics usually had. She then remembered the judges at the competitions she participated in, and how in-depth they were with they’re critiques.

“That’s just the truth, I guess. Sometimes I feel kind of guilty when writing my more harsh reviews, but most people take it well. They shouldn’t make movies if they can’t handle criticism, after all.” Katsu smiled, leaning against a wall. “Being a critic is fun. It’s an excuse to watch movies all day!”

“Good point. I remember how harsh my teachers were when I started dancing, but I eventually became better then them quickly, and won national dancing competitions every year. If they hadn’t supported me with criticism and advice, I never would have gotten as good as I am now. It just goes to show.” Megumi stated, thinking about her past of ballet.

“That’s part of what I hope to do as a critic. It’s always nice to see someone who takes your criticism to heart, whether it’s actually the creator, or just some random person on the internet who thinks that your criticism helped them in some way.” Katsu paused, sighing. “In here, there’s only fifteen other people to read my criticism. I bet none of you guys care what I have to say about random movies.”

“I bet there’s somebody around here that will be glad to hear about your interests. There’s a lot of kind people in this place, so one of them are bound to bond over movies with you.” Megumi said, trying to reassure Katsu.

Katsu brightened up. “Thanks, Megumi.” He paused. “You don’t seem like the type very interested in movies or shows, er — should I try introduce myself to everyone? Like how you are?” Katsu smiled, seeming like he would leave the video room soon.

“Yeah! It would be great to introduce yourself to everyone! I’ll introduce myself to more people as well.” Megumi responded, cupping her hands together in excitement. She was glad Katsu would meet more of the people around here. Hopefully he would think highly of people she liked around her, like Akiri and Ryouishi.

“Before you go, can I ask one more question? You’ve introduced yourself to most of us, right? Do you think there’s anyone I might get along with?” Katsu asked. “I guess maybe I could try Honoka Tsukino? She’s a Voice Actress, after all.”

“Oh, I think you’ll get along with people like Akiri or Yoshiaki. They’re really kind. Honoka is… another story altogether.” Megumi replied, seeming less excited and scowling slightly when mentioning Honoka. She waved goodbye to Katsu, and walked out of the room after hearing what he had to say next.

“Well, in that case, I’ll take your advice. I’ll try find them then.” Katsu said, before waving goodbye. “Thanks.”

“No problem!” Megumi yelled back, now in the hallway. She decided to go to the stairs across the hall next. She saw another boy there, with turquoise hair and eyes, trying to knock down a gate blocking the stairs. She got closer to him, and spoke, worried about him.

“What are you doing? You’re going to eventually hurt yourself if you keep doing that!” She yelled, her light purple hair flowing behind her as she ran towards him.

“Ah, my name’s Shiori Suzuki, the Ultimate Poet!” He said back, seeming to suddenly remember her question after introducing himself. “Oh, so this gate I can’t get past is blocking these stairs, and I’m trying to break it. There must be something up there that the teddy bear doesn’t want us to see, right?” Shiori grinned.

“You may be right about that. But there’s no point in trying to force your way through.” Megumi stated, warning Shiori with a glare.

“I guess..” Shiori said, turning away from the gate and at Megumi. “I really wonder what’s up there, though.” 

“I feel the same. Maybe we’ll find out later. But in the meantime, let’s not break Monokuma’s regulations. It’ll be bad if one of us end up getting punished for something like this.” Megumi said, looking at the security camera present in the hallway, afraid that trying to break through the gate would be considered breaking a regulation.

“Yeah. I doubt I would have been able to break this gate though, when I think about it.” Shiori cocked his head to the right, still smiling. 

“Yeah, you’d need to be stronger in order to do such a thing as break a gate made of pure metal.” Megumi stated, touching the gate and feeling the cold material it was constructed of.

“So, are you going around introducing yourself? What’s everyone like? I’ve only met Yoshiaki and Michiko so far.” Shiori said softly.

“I’ve met a lot of people…” Megumi was suspicious of Shiori’s tone of voice suddenly changing as he changed the subject. What was he planning to do? Megumi continued on, saying, “Some are nice, while others are… less so.”

“Who seems friendly?” He asked, suddenly seeming more focused.

“Why… do you ask?” Megumi asked, suddenly narrowing her eyes in suspicion. 

“I wouldn’t want to talk to someone too mean, haha… just wondering who’d be a good friend in this situation.” 

“Well, I introduced myself to everyone, so you should see for yourself as well. I’m going to investigate more places, so farewell for now.” Megumi says, uncomfortable around him. She walked away, and quickly headed to another room.

“Oh. Okay, then. I guess I’ll go find someone. Goodbye, Megumi.” Shiori said, smiling and walking in the direction of the dining hall.

After her situation with Shiori, Megumi headed to the nearest room, the library, and saw two people she hadn’t met yet. She spoke to them immediately, wondering who they were. Hopefully they wouldn’t be like Shiori.

“Salutations! I haven’t met you two yet. I’m Megumi Katakura, The Ultimate Ballerina. It seems like you two are checking the library. What did you find so far?” Megumi asked, seeing two boys she hadn’t yet talked to speaking to each other.

“Oh, I guess you’re dying to find out who I am as well. I’m Haruto Ichinose, and I am the Ultimate Comedian!” Haruto says, continuing on. “We haven’t found anything of importance here besides a few mystery and horror novels. But we don’t want to extinguish your hope, so we can tell you there are dangerous books here as well, detailing different poisons and terrifying types of murders from the past. You should confiscate these just in case, shouldn’t you? I think you’re the one least likely to have a desire to murder, but I don’t want to read your emotions. Just a warning though, you’re an open book.”

 

“People like you often are the ones who end up dead first in stories, so friendly… and unlikely to kill.” Daisuke told Megumi, before pausing and realizing that he should introduce himself as well. “My name is Daisuke Fujioka, and my title is the Ultimate Fashion Designer.” 

She looked at all of the books, which had an odd amount of the types of books that Haruto had mentioned. Was Monokuma giving them books to use as inspiration to kill? Megumi shuddered while staring down at the text.

Megumi felt slightly uncomfortable at the comments made by Haruto and Daisuke about her. “It would be best to confiscate those, perhaps put them somewhere no one can access them, although I’d like to think that no one would use them even if we didn’t.” 

“Or we could leave them out. And we’ll all be corpses by next week. All of our ghosts shall wonder if hiding the books and the information in them would have possibly kept us alive.” Daisuke said, sounding completely serious.

“It’d be a grave mistake to leave the books out for anyone to see, after all, we’re all dead set on surviving.” Haruto said in an oddly cheery voice, probably for comedic effect. Megumi wondered if a skill of comedians was being able to act like they hadn’t made a joke to make their joke funnier. 

Megumi chuckled awkwardly, looking around the library and eventually placing the more informative books in between shelves, underneath stacks of regular books, and other secret areas in the library. Afterwards, she came back to Daisuke and Haruto, who seemed to be talking.

“Why couldn’t the chicken cross the road?” Haruto asked, pausing. Daisuke nodded, gesturing to continue. “Because he’s dead.” Haruto finished blankly. It seemed that Daisuke liked the joke, as he slightly smiled at the end of the joke.

Megumi walked back to them. “Um, I’m going to go talk to investigate the other areas, so farewell to both of you!”

“Awe, you should have stayed longer. I didn’t have any time to show off any flesh new jokes.” Haruto joked, waving goodbye. Daisuke simply stared, seeming to say goodbye with his eyes.

After leaving the library, Megumi decided to go back to the classroom she originally woke up in, so she could find some type of clue as to why she woke up there. When she entered, she saw a girl sitting in the corner, her strawberry-blonde hair in two braids hanging over her shoulders. She seemed to be in deep concentration, her eyes closed and her body in a focused position, her arms and legs crossed. Megumi could see she preferred to be alone, but tried to speak to her anyway.

“Um, Hey, I’m Megumi...” Megumi introduced herself to the girl, but repeated her name again. “Megumi Katakura. The Ultimate Ballerina.”

“I heard. I’m Chouko. The Ultimate Actress. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!” Chouko fluttered her eyes open, and looked straight ahead at Megumi. She quickly got up, and put her hand forward for Megumi to shake it.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well! What were you doing just now?” Megumi asked, in deep thought as she took Chouko’s hand and shook it.

“Oh, I was just remembering the scenes I’ve acted in... It’s helped me in stressful situations to remember times where I was happy.” Chouko answered, a pleasant expression in her face as she smiled, shaking Megumi’s hand and letting it go afterwards.

“Oh, that makes sense. I’m glad it helps you cope with stressful situations. It’s good to think about hope in a time like this.” Megumi responded, remembering moments of her own that made her happy.

“Hey, should we explore more of this school? I think everyone should be getting back to the gym soon, since it’s been nearly two hours. Most should have explored a lot by now.” Chouko said, looking at the clock in the classroom. It was nearly eight o’clock at night now. 

“Yeah, that’s a good idea! Once we explore, we can tell everyone what we observed!” Megumi then nodded, and started walking out of the room, waiting for Chouko to follow.

Together, they discovered more of the rooms. There was a large music room, filled with instruments of all kinds, a nurse’s room, filled with different medicines and medical supplies, and sixteen dorm rooms marked by signs with their faces on the doors. After observing it all, they went back to the gym, and waited for everybody else.

After everyone discussed the rooms they found after their exploration, they all went to their assigned dorms rooms and went to sleep, waiting for the next day, wondering what was to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter One: Daily Life Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freetime!

Megumi had awoken in her bed, shivering from nightmares that had snuck into her mind the night before. Her hair was tangled, lines were under her eyes, and while she stretched out her arms, she felt an indescribable pain, as if she slept on her arms wrongly. She nearly fell off the bed, an arm and a leg hanging over the side when she had originally awoken, and the pillow under her falling to the floor. It was usual things that happened when she woke up from her bed at her home, but not to the extent in which it caused her fear. Getting off the bed, she quickly looked around while looking for her room key, afraid that she left it unlocked. To her relief, her door was completely shut, locked and secure. After checking the door, she tried to focus on the dream she had the night before.

Blood, gore, screaming, all the regular signs present in a nightmare, usually occurring regularly in the human mind after a stressful situation, which was certainly true for Megumi. Despite introducing herself to everyone, she had a nightmare in which they all taunted her, tortured her, making her cower in fear as trepidation and despair inundated her mind completely. She dreamt of herself being punished by Monokuma, a dagger piercing straight into her heart, a painful realization on her face, a throbbing pain throughout her body, before her imminent death. The worst nightmare she ever experienced was being fired from her job as a ballet instructor, nothing like this.

She quickly got prepared for the day, glad that at least the living conditions were not terrible, and that they had the necessities required for daily life. She brushed her tangled hair, and put it into a bun. She took a new uniform from her closet, and changed into it. Half-expecting something terrible to appear in the hall, she stepped out into the main dormitory hallway, looking for anyone else that had awoken early. It was six AM, an hour before the morning announcement was set to play.

Megumi wandered the halls for a few minutes. The stress of the killing game weighed on her. She felt like the fear was sitting on her shoulders and pushing her down, until she would eventually sink underneath the floor. She shook her head, feeling that it’d be better to go to the dining hall, and grab some food. She hadn’t eaten the last day, and Megumi was certain most of them hadn’t — except Asako, who has gobbled up a meal’s worth of candy.

She felt some energy being restored to her mind and body while thinking about it. Having a goal filled her with a purpose, however small that particular aspiration had beenl. She felt a bit better. Megumi straightened her back, imagining being in her beloved leotard and skirt, about to dance gracefully while teaching her students about a new routine. Then, she halted the thought, dragging herself out of her imagination and focusing on going to the dining hall. Without effort, Megumi traveled to the dining hall, remembering how she had got there the last day.

Once she arrived to the dining hall, she looked around, looking for somebody sitting down eating, relaxing on a chair, anything. No one was inside, it seemed, meaning that nobody except her woke up early. It was completely silent, and she was all alone. Unless someone was extremely quiet and unnoticeable, Megumi was completely isolated from any company for now. The silence brought both peace and uneasiness to her. Peace came from the lack of other people, and the uneasiness from the same reason, especially in this situation. Megumi made her way over to the kitchen, looking through the different types of breakfast food on the shelves and in the cupboards.. She settled on a plain bowl of cereal to eat this morning.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps. She looked up from eating cereal, and saw a girl with long, silver hair, and a dark blue dress that went over her knees. It was the Ultimate Ice Skater, Akiri. Megumi smiled, happy that one of the people she had a favorable opinion of was here to eat with her. Megumi spoke up, almost jumping from the fact that somebody like Akiri woke up as early as her.

“Hey! Akiri! Did you rest well?” Megumi asked Akiri, standing up from her seat to walk towards the ice skater.

Akiri looked up at Megumi, giving a small, relieved smile, while putting her arms behind her and bowing. “I rested well. Thank you, Megumi…”

Megumi noticed something strange about Akiri’s behavior. She was incredibly polite, but Megumi found it strange that Akiri bowed when being greeted. “Hey, I know it’s not my business, but… Why do you bow so much? You don’t need to.”

Akiri laughed awkwardly, and sighed, as her shoulders tensed up and she closed her eyes. “It’s the same reason I get up early in the morning, to seem professional. I’ve gone through harsh training to be the Ultimate Ice Skater, taunted until I was able to perform a move perfectly. I’m still going through that training. Bowing when being greeted is just a habit I was forced to learn from my instructors.”

“So, you’ve gone through harsh training too, huh? I teach ballet now, and I try not to be harsh on my younger students… But I suppose you do have to go through harsh training to be an Ultimate.” Megumi said, in deep thought about her past. Her mother had pushed her to pursue ballet at a very young age. Even though Megumi loved ballet, and it gave her great physical strength, it was difficult to look at her years of childhood as happy.

“I guess we’re in the same boat… But my instructors cared much more about appearances than my actual capabilities or talent. My family thankfully got me new ice-skating teachers, ones that allowed me to put passion and emotion into my work. But I can never forget the cruelty of my original instructors.” Akiri ranted on, both her and Megumi now sitting next to each other in their chairs. 

“Wait… Oh my god, I’m sorry for ranting to you… I just got distracted.” Akiri said, just as she stepped back out of her chair and started walking away, when Megumi took Akiri’s hand.

Megumi smiled. “No, don’t worry! You can vent. It’s not your fault. You don’t need to be so apologetic, Akiri.”

Suddenly, Monokuma’s announcement rang through the speakers, and his face appeared on the monitors. “Rise and shine, students of wonderfully deadly Academy! It’s time to great a wonderful day of despair, death, and dread!”

“Oh, it looks like everyone will wake up soon. Goodbye, Megumi.” Akiri shook off Megumi’s grasp, and walked out of the dining hall solemnly, her arms around her stomach and her face looking pale.

Megumi presumed Akiri had left due to the now somber atmosphere, and decided to continue eating, not wishing to bother Akiri anymore. She thought over her conversation with Akiri, frowning from the end result of the colloquy. After a few minutes of quick eating, she finished her cereal, and went back to the kitchen. Megumi washed her bowl and put it away, as she heard many footsteps from different directions. It seemed that most of the students had awoken and decided to come to the dining hall to eat breakfast. Avoiding everyone, she decided to go somewhere else.

While wandering the halls, Megumi saw Yoshiaki talking to Katsu in a classroom. He was smiling as he talked to Katsu, who seemed to be listening intently to whatever Yoshiaki was talking about. Katsu leaned back to the wall, relaxed, and even Yoshiaki looked more relaxed in the presence of his friend. They continued talking for a few moments, until Katsu waved goodbye and left Yoshiaki.

Yoshiaki sat alone, seemingly about to leave as he began to push the seat backwards. He pressed a brown beanie onto his now tousled black hair, which he seemingly found in the school, seeing as he hadn’t worn it when Megumi first introduced herself to him. The rest of his outfit was the same as when they first met, although the plants in his apron seemed to have changed into other plants she couldn’t name, indicating that he probably did some gardening — which was most likely a given. 

Megumi wondered if she should spend some time with Yoshiaki, seeing as he had offered to help her garden. After a few seconds of consideration, she decided to approach the boy.

“Hey, Yoshiaki! How are you?” Megumi asked, walking up to the boy. He flinched, looking anxious until taking a look at Megumi waving her hand at him. He shuffled in his seat awkwardly, before managing a slight smile. 

“Hi. Megumi.” He managed to say albeit choppily, seeming shy as he stood up from his seat to greet Megumi. He seemed socially awkward. “I’m doing... great. And I’ve been talking to Katsu and Shiori. They’re nice people.” Yoshiaki smiled lightly.

Megumi paused at that, remembering her interaction with Shiori. She had been suspicious of the boy. However, it seemed that Yoshiaki considered him a friend from his smile, and she decided against voicing any suspicions she had about him. Instead, she refocused on Yoshiaki’s talking.

“Um, did you want to ask me about my offer to garden with you? It still stands, so... if you have the time, I’d be happy to do so!” He continued, seeming enthusiastic about gardening with someone else.

Megumi nodded. “I’d be happy to pursue gardening with you!” She thought that Yoshiaki would be a fun partner to have while gardening, and hoped that he would get more confident when doing so. 

Yoshiaki led the way over to his room in the school wordlessly, seemingly not sure way to say. The plants seemed grand and unfamiliar to Megumi, even with some rare vegetables, fruits, and berries in the room, but to Yoshiaki looked familiar while looking at the plants in his room’s garden. Perhaps it was from being in beautiful gardens often, and studying flora often, due to his ultimate. The boy looked at home near plants, the same way that Megumi felt at ease as a ballerina.

After a bit of fumbling, he handed a few bulbs and a trowel to Megumi. “Tulips.” He then laughed under his breath. “I’m not sure if we’ll still be here by the time that the flowers will bloom, but I guess we can try plant them.” Megumi nodded, taking the bulbs and trowel. 

Yoshiaki proceeded to use a tiller to loosen the soil, and then mixed compost into the garden bed, explaining the planting process to Megumi, using hand gestures for most of the explanation. Megumi and him planted the bulbs into the ground, although there wasn’t enough space for many. As they finished covering it all up, Megumi noticed the somber expression on Yoshiaki’s face.

“What’s wrong, Yoshiaki?” Megumi asked, wondering why the boy had suddenly looked so sad. She flattened the soil as she spoke, and felt dirt on her clothes — she’d have to change once she was done.

Yoshiaki looked uncomfortable for a moment, playing with his hands. “...I miss home. I guess I get homesick too easily. Planting this reminded me of my garden, and I’m sad not being able to gaze at all of my plants.” He paused, looking like he was about to stop speaking.

Megumi smiled reassuringly, which translated as: “you can keep talking if you’d like.”

“At least this place has flowers and plants... it’s near unnerving how well everything fits with my tastes, but it’s quite... nice. Last time I was apart from my garden, I learned how to lockpick so I could break into a gardening store just to... stare at the flowers.” Yoshiaki stopped himself, looking self conscious. “But don’t worry! I didn’t steal anything or anything like that! And I only did that once, I swear.”

“My family was kind of disappointed about that, but they understood it, and they let me off quickly, luckily. I don’t know what I would have done if I was in hot water for longer than a single day. Any family troubles or garden issues is hard to handle… I don’t have lots of friends or anything, so I’d say that the only things important to me are my family and my plants… any issues with that would mean not much left at all.” Yoshiaki rambled on, seeming too wrapped up in his thoughts to stop at the moment. “I’m... happy to be making friends here. And it’s nice to have met you, Megumi, even if we haven’t talked much yet.” Yoshiaki said shyly.

“I’m happy to have met you as well, Yoshiaki.” Megumi said smiling as she watched Yoshiaki water the soil. He stood up from the kneeling position they were in during the planting, as did Megumi. It seemed that they were done planting for the day — well, by that she meant together, seeing as it seemed Yoshiaki could very well live in a garden.

After a little bit of silence, Megumi decided to leave, maybe to talk to someone else. “I think that I’ll go now, Yoshiaki. You’ve spent a lot of time teaching me to garden, after all. Thank you for this.”

Yoshiaki blushed at the “thank you,” apparently not hearing it often. “You’re welcome.” He said, about to wave goodbye, before pausing. “Oh, and I’ve planted some marigolds. They take a short time to grow... so once they grow, I could give you some, if you’d like?”

“I’d love that. Thanks again, Yoshiaki.” Megumi waved goodbye, slowly walking away. Yoshiaki waved at Megumi as well, with a small grin plastered on his face.

Feeling exhilarated from her time with Yoshiaki, Megumi happily skipped to her room, and took and a short rest, exhausted from gardening with Yoshiaki. When she had awoken, she decided to look for somebody else around the halls. When she ended up in the library, she saw Haruka sitting down and reading, her elbows on the table as she was immersed in the book.

“Hey, what are you reading, Haruka?” Megumi asked, walking over to Haruka’s table and looking over her shoulder.

“Hey! Don’t you know not to disturb a reader when they’re immersed in a book?” Haruka answered, annoyed by Megumi’s intrusion, yet continuing on. “Well, this is just a mystery book. As the Ultimate Spiritual Communicator, it is obvious that I would be into that kind of enigmatic and puzzling stuff, right?”

“Well…” Megumi didn’t know how to answer. From her first impression of Haruka, it didn’t seem like she’d be the quiet type who liked reading. “I just assumed you were spontaneous and over-excited… My apologies for the assumption, Haruka.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine! Just use this as an opportunity to learn, right? That’s what I’m trying to teach Kazuki.” Haruka answered, gesturing to a figure sitting in the corner, all alone, reading a book about a mysterious forest.

“Oh, what’s with Kazuki anyway? You two seem close, but I haven’t seen him talk to anybody else yet. Is it something personal?” Megumi asks, wishing to get to know both Haruka and Kazuki more.

“It’s personal for both of us… I don’t want to tell anybody anything about his past without his permission. Just know that he feels uncomfortable around people, and are afraid they’ll try to hurt him or his animals. He trusts me because I share a special connection with an animal as well…” Haruka answered, respecting the privacy of Kazuki. She closed her book, and resumed to talking with Megumi, putting full focus on her.

“Wait, are you saying you can communicate with the spirits of animals as well…? How is that possible…?” Megumi asked, unable to comprehend the extensive abilities of Haruka, remembering when Haruka claimed to speak to her grandparents the day before.

“No, no… not like that. I can speak to an animal’s spirit but… it’s just… an animal saved my life once. I’ll talk to you about it later. In the meantime, why don’t I teach you a little about my skill?” Haruka suggested, her smirking accompanied by a mischievous laugh. 

“Uh, alright then…” Megumi replied, reluctantly agreeing with Haruka. Megumi wondered if the Spiritual Communicator had something planned.

Pulling Megumi out of the library and towards her room, Haruka’s eyes blazed with excitement, her seemingly illuminated with exhilaration. Once they arrived, Megumi was seated down on a chair covered with a soft, velvety fabric. The room was completely dark, a foreboding tone inundating the room, a despondent fear making a Megumi’s body shiver. Yet, she kept up her guard, ready if Haruka had anything planned for her. Haruka appeared to have a small stature, so she couldn’t put up much of a fight if she truly was intending to trap Megumi here and commit a deadly act.

To Megumi’s relief, Haruka turned the lights back on, except the room was filled with a violet illumination, mysterious and mystical. Perhaps it was used to set the atmosphere, and make it so the true mythicality of supernatural events can unfold to perfection. Or perhaps Haruka just favored the luminescence of heliotrope, and her room was accustomed to her tastes, like how Yoshiaki’s room was accustomed to him. Megumi thought either option was possible, considering hoe energetic the girl appeared to be. 

Haruka lit a few candles, bringing a slight warmth to Megumi’s body as she put her hands closer to the flames, not realizing how cold her body was. The orange lighting largely contrasted with the purple illumination above, yet however, they also complimented each other within the foreboding setting. Haruka sat down on a similar chair, opposite to where Megumi was seated.

“Now, this is a ritual I have created myself a few years prior, and said ritual is capable of contacting those dear to you that have passed away. I am able to contact those within the past, or those within the future. So, do you have any requests?” Haruka then laughed to herself, a smile brought upon her face. “Pardon my formalities! My clients usually appreciate when I’m all formal, and it’s difficult when my usual personality is so disformal. Anyways, do you have anyone you wish to speak to?”

“Wait, I want to ask a question. What do you mean that you can contact ‘those within the future’? It isn’t possible, is it? Even if you can contact actual ghosts, how are you able to communicate with the future?” Megumi asked quizzically, not believing any of the words Haruka spoke. 

“Oh, it’s just… their time of death, how they die, who kills them, etcetera. Information beyond that is even inaccessible to somebody with my ability, however, I am usually correct in my predictions of death.” Haruka said in a completely serious tone, with a stoic expression on her face.

“Oh… okay. I guess I’ll… talk to my future self. Do I die before I escape this place?” Megumi asks, remembering the situation at hand. 

They were all captured into a cage of a school, at the mercy of whoever was controlling Monokuma. All of their lives were threatened by the state they were in, somebody bound to be murdered at anytime. Teamwork and camaraderie were meant to be false, as those closest to each other can betray each other at any moment. There were too many opportunities for death, and the desire everybody had to escape just filed it. Thinking thoughtfully, Megumi sighed, putting her hands into her lap and looking down as she held onto her skirt tightly, trying to prepare for what Haruka was going to say.

“Alright… Let me see the either dreadful or hopeful truth…” Haruka closed her eyes and started humming, a dreadful song forming in the room as her gentle voice filled it. Suddenly, she went silent, and her body was completely stationary. “You shall suffer the most terrible consequences, and you shall be killed by an influential presence in your life. The time is not able to be discovered yet. I’m sorry.”

Megumi was shocked at the conclusion Haruka had drawn, her mouth gaping as the words spilled out of Haruka’s mouth. The room became a stale grey, a forsaken desolence of a harsh truth. Haruka was the Ultimate Spiritual Communicator, so her abilities were great. She had to be telling the truth, wasn’t she? Then again, she obviously enjoyed jokes and pranks as well. Haruka saw the expression on Megumi’s face, and chuckled at it, while providing reassurance to Megumi.

“Hey, don’t worry Megumi! You shouldn’t be upset at it, because my predictions aren’t always correct. I just said ‘usually’. No worries!” Haruka cheerfully said, contrasting her previously serious and solemn tone of voice just a few moments prior.

“I’m going to go… I’m sorry, Haruka.” Megumi said, standing up from her chair and pushing it back under the table. 

“It’s understandable! You need time to comprehend my words of the future. Farewell! I hope to see you again tomorrow!” Haruka said, smiling as she waved goodbye, completely unaffected by what she said. Predicting deaths was something she was used to, after all.

“Farewell, Haruka.” Megumi said, walking out of the dormitory room and back into the hall.

What did those words mean? She would perform a terrible act, and consequently be punished. Megumi would also be killed by an influential presence in her life. Did that mean her mother or her father, did that mean somebody in that school right now? She would never know. She could never comprehend those words. However, like Haruka said, it could be wrong.

After the terrifying experience, Megumi went to bed, again with nightmares of her death filling her mind. Yet the words of Haruka kept repeating themselves in the nightmare, consequently giving her more fear than ever. What would await tomorrow?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yaddayaddayadda same notes as always,, please give us feedback


	4. Chapter One: Daily Life Part Two

Megumi woke up tangled up in her blanket. She had a nightmare once again. Her body was warm, and she felt at ease for a few moments after she woke up, when her eyes weren’t open, and she was barely conscious at all. It was almost like she was back home — well, that was until time passed, and Megumi felt awake. She sat up, throwing off her blanket, her whole body tense, as she remembered where she was. It felt like mornings were the worst time for thinking about the killing game, because she didn’t know what was going on outside, what happened while she had slept. She missed the morning announcement, noticing it was already eight in the morning as she looked at her clock.

She stood up, walking around her room, trying to stretch out her body like she did in the mornings before practice. Immediately, she felt that her body was more tense than usual. Megumi wondered if there was a way to make her body less stressed and exhausted. Ballet had been missing from her life as well, her body not used to taking any sort of break. She shuddered at the idea of her ballet experience wearing off because of this killing game imprisoning her, however illogical the idea that taking a few days off would make you substantially worse at a certain skill. She thought it was to the point you wouldn’t be able to jump back very easily, although it didn’t make much sense.

Megumi sat down on the floor, doing the common warm up stretches that she had begun doing when she first started being trained at ballet. She barely broke a sweat during those practices, so she should be able to do them as well now. After stretching, Megumi stood up and ran around the large room, performing difficult ballet moves like the fouettes and pirouettes like she usually did. Due to the stress of simply existing in a killing game, she felt less confident in her moves than usual, but it helped in relaxing Megumi and regaining concentration on the day ahead. 

She ran out of her room, and to the library, thinking that she needed to work her mind as well as she worked her body. Yet, she found somebody she was not expecting, somebody she disliked.

Shiori sat on a chair at the library, hunched over a book. His turquoise hair was neatly brushed behind his ear, and his slightly darker turquoise eyes stared down at what seemed to be his journal, his facial expression, focused. He wore a regular school uniform with a white undershirt, his appearance much less distinctive than the rest of the students. After a while, he looked up from his book and noticed Megumi observing him.

“Oh! Hi there, Megumi!” Shiori shouted cheerfully, smiling widely as he waved hello. Megumi felt a bit unnerved by the sudden burst of energy in the boy, looking back on their previous encounter.

“Hi, Shiori...” Megumi said quietly, looking around the library to check if there was anyone else there. No one was there, but she still felt uncomfortable listening to Shiori be so loud in a place like the library. She waved back, walking over to Shiori’s table.

“How’s your day been going?” He asked enthusiastically, still abnormally loud, as if he was trying to fill the empty silence with his voice.

“It’s been good thus far. Yesterday, I spent time with Yoshiaki in his room and Haruka in her room as well.” Megumi said blankly, even quieter. She wondered if Shiori would pick up on her discomfort.

“That’s great! I talked to Yoshiaki and Michiko today. I’ve never been in Yoshiaki’s room yet, but talking to them is great. It helps with the nerves, y’now?” Shiori paused. 

Megumi was about to respond when he began speaking again. “Wanna hear about what I’m writing?” He asked, gesturing at his journal.

She looked down at his journal and saw a short poem written in Shiori’s handwriting, which was messy to say the least. Megumi had trouble reading the first line. Afterwards, she looked back at Shiori, who was grinning. 

Megumi nodded. “Yes. I’d like to hear about your poetry.” 

“So — this one is about death. Y’now, like someone on a hospital bed waiting for the inevitable day that they die. Supposed to convey the uneasiness of not knowing when you’ll die, but knowing you have so little time left to live!” He said eagerly, sounding oddly happy about the topic of the poem. The boy ripped out the page with the poem, and handed it over to Megumi.

“Oh, I haven’t written the last line.” He mumbled, taking it back, and scribbling the last line. When she got it back, Megumi noted that it was very messy, which fit in with the beginning of the poem.

Megumi looked over the poem, and even though it was a bit hard to read, she thought that it was magnificent. It was very raw and fully placed her in a situation she had never lived through. At some points, the poem was oddly specific, she found. With many detail descriptions about the emotions of the people in the setting. Megumi wondered if it was just Shiori’s skill in writing, or if it was inspired by a real life event. It had to be the kind of writing expected of the Ultimate Poet.

“It’s in the point of view of an old friend of mine as he died. I wrote it a for him about a year ago. He was skilled in poetry too! I taught him everything I knew!” Shiori said, cheerfully bragging about the poem he wrote.

“Oh… I’m sorry for your loss.” Megumi said, empathetic towards Shiori’s seemingly strange behavior. Megumi thought he was trying to hide his sadness for his friend’s death by being such an overly-exhilarated person. Gaiety still filled Shiori’s expression, despite his ominous words about his friend’s death.

“Oh, it doesn’t really matter anymore. He’s in a better place, after all!” Shiori said, his cold words still masked by a happy demeanor. He closed his journal, and put it underneath his arm.

“Oh, alright then… I hope you aren’t too badly affected by his death. I must go now, but if you wish, we can converse at a later time, Shiori.” Megumi said, trying to remain polite despite the frozen words that were coming out of Shiori’s mouth. She was angered by his insensitive words, but understood that was how he coped with his friend’s death.

“Alrighty then, Megumi! Talk to you again later!” Shiori said as he was waving goodbye, his voice unnecessarily loud, as expected. He had a large grin on his face, seeming to have completely forgotten about the topic of his friend’s death.

Megumi waved goodbye as well, and stepped back into the hallway.

Suddenly, she heard a feminine scream coming from the gym, yelling out in fear, as if something had attacked her. Trepidation filling Megumi’s veins, she quickly ran to the gym, afraid that she would not arrive to the gymnasium in time. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, and saw something completely unexpected. Chouko was performing on stage, kneeling down as tears ran down her face and dropped onto the ground. She was completely immersed in her own act, not noticing Megumi’s shouting that if she was okay.

“Chouko, what happened? Are you alright?!” Megumi yelled out, running up the stage and behind Chouko. Chouko finally noticed Megumi’s yelling, wiped the dust off her dress, cleared her face of the tears, and reassured Megumi. 

“Hey, don’t worry! I was just acting!” Chouko said, putting her hands on Megumi’s tense shoulders. “I’m completely fine.”

“Oh god, you worried me... I thought somebody was attacked. If that happened, I wouldn’t know what to do. I don’t want you or anyone else here to suffer or, be killed, be executed, or punished...” Megumi said, thinking about the many ways people here could suffer. Nobody here could go to the extent of murder, could they? If nobody murdered, if everybody just followed the rules, then no harm would come to anyone. Though, the harsh truth of reality is something that must be faced.

“Look at me.” Chouko said, getting closer to Megumi and staring at her directly in the eyes. “You should protect yourself. Don’t murder, don’t get killed. Death and destruction are things you should never, ever get used to. You’re too important to me, so I never want you to suffer like I have to. Please don’t succumb to hopelessness like I have. Please don’t run away from your fears and never face them. Don’t be like me. I see so much hope in your heart, and I can see you can protect everyone as long as you follow that hope.”

“What...?” Megumi could barely comprehend the words coming out of Chouko’s mouth. They barely knew eachother, yet Chouko already cared so much about Megumi already? It didn’t seem possible at all.

“Haha! Just acting!” Chouko laughed again, hugging Megumi as her cheerful giggling filled the foreboding atmosphere that surrounded the Ultimate Ballerina. 

“It was just an emotional piece of dialogue from a movie I was in. It was about two girls who both had powers, except one had the power of destruction, and had lived a horrible life due to it.” Chouko continued on. “They must protect the world and... you know, all the other cliches of a save the world story. Not one of my favorite pieces that I acted in, but a memorable one nonetheless.”

“Oh... you’re as bad as Haruka.” Megumi stated, now laughing to herself. She should really stop taking everything so seriously. “Yesterday, she told me about my possible death and then laughed about how wrong she may be afterwards...” 

“Yeah, she told me about that. We’ve become good friends!” Chouko announced, putting her hands on her hips and putting her shoulders back, as if bragging. “What about you? Have you become good friends with anyone?”

“I’ve gardened with Yoshiaki a bit, and had Haruka talk about my future, and talked to Shiori, but nothing else... Wait, how about you show me a performance, and I can show you one as well?” Megumi asks, thinking about how Chouko and her can start forming a friendship themselves, first start with their common ground.

“That’s a nice idea, Megumi. I usually practice alone in an isolated area as it makes it easier to focus, but I suppose I could improve with the advice an Ultimate Ballerina gives me. Ballerinas use body language and the swift movements of dancing to convey a story, don’t they? You’d be a great help!” Chouko said excitedly, cupping her hands together and hugging Megumi.

Walking off the stage, Megumi sat down on a foldable metal chair in the gym, awaiting Chouko’s performance. Although she was excited, she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable because of the words of Haruka and the words of Chouko, both claiming that their strange phrases didn’t matter. They would matter, wouldn’t they? Lies and truths, the reality of the situation they were in, a single truth that all of them may die under the hands of whoever was controlling Monokuma. It was all possible.

“I’m going to start on a monologue, is that alright?” 

“My king, I am a noble warrior, and I have arrived here in pursuit of turning myself in for my great failure today. For years, I have battled endless foes in my lifetime, from the most perilous dragons of great fire and flight, to the most venomous serpents of agility and strength.” Chouko recited, bowing down and smiling, as if bragging about her own accomplishments.

“I’ve recollected my hundreds of tales throughout numerous epic poems and self-written stories. Every memory I hold in my conscience is all but a raindrop in the ocean that is reminiscent of my own existence. Every poem and story I write fully display my emotions, from glory and wonder, to an inevitable treachery that seeks to corrupt my morality. Every word I have written is an experience of fear, every sentence I have written a struggle, and every stanza I have written another battle.” Chouko said, as her smile quickly faltered and her eyes opened wide, looking down as tears started forming in her eyes.

“The whispering thunder, a harmonious song, Mellifluous in my distant hearing. Yet, it is chicanery in my own eyes, My everlasting pursuit through her melody, And a glinting blade reflecting her aria’s now endless song.” Chouko recited, getting down on one knee and closing her eyes like a knight standing before a king.

“It is quite a rough poem, but I’m proud of that battle. My ears had betrayed my own common sense, along with my heart swaying to the deadly yet apparently graceful hallucination the echoing vociferations of the siren’s song brought forth. I was traveling with an acquaintance I met long ago, a guardian of the sun and sky, a phoenix.” Chouko recited once more, now crying as she roughly spoke the words of the monologue.

“While I was barely able to resist the trance of the siren, my phoenix used its powers to remove my sense of hearing for a short amount of time. Suddenly, as the curse was broken, the ethereal illusions of beautiful skies and gentle waves shifted back into reality, becoming crashing tides and strong gusts of wind swirling amongst a sea haunted by storms.” Chouko said, her words seeming poetic and grandiose.

“My sword brightly glimmered with silver in the moonlight, as I raised it and brought it down towards the siren. The fight would have been impossible without my companion, even if my particular foe that day was weak without her abilities. The siren was one of my few successful battles, and when I am a trained warrior with decades of experience, I feel ashamed of that. I have failed many times, and others had suffered for my mistakes. Guilt rushes through my veins every time I am not able to conquer a mystical enemy that roams the lands having the sole purpose to thrive by killing.” Chouko now could barely stand without her stance faltering, her body completely shaking as tears stained the stage below her.

“I take it upon myself to protect every individual in this kingdom, but I have failed to do so this very day. I fully take responsibility for my mistakes and failures, and for not being able to win against the creature that invaded our region. I will take any punishment, no matter how harsh, that you wish to inflict upon me, my dearest king. Thank you for listening to a peasant such as me.” Chouko bowed once again, and finished her performance.

“Phew, that was a handful to perform!” Chouko announced, now standing completely normally, wiping the tears from her eyes. Megumi clapped, completely immersed in the performance of Chouko. She stood up and ran to the stage, and took Chouko’s hands. 

“That was amazing, Chouko!” Megumi said excitedly, astounded by the performance, as her hands held Chouko’s tightly.

“Thanks, Megumi. Now, what about you’re performance?” Chouko laughed at Megumi being completely distracted.

“Oh... um, maybe tomorrow? I...” Megumi didn’t know how to respond. She usually practiced precisely before performing, and couldn’t create a dance on the fly. She tried to come up with an excuse, but nothing came out of her mouth.

“Oh, I get it! You need to practice, right? Otherwise, you would have never became the Ultimate Ballerina. It’s fine, don’t worry.” Chouko said, letting go of Megumi’s hands, understanding what Megumi meant to say.

“Oh, thank you... I’m going to go to my room and rest, alright? But tomorrow, I’ll give you a better performance than you could ever imagine!” Megumi yelled out, now determined to impress Chouko the same way Chouko impressed her.

“Oh, alright. Farewell! I’m going to the dining hall for dinner myself. See you later!” Chouko walked off the stage, and waved goodbye to Megumi.

 

Megumi decided to go back to her room and rest early, the day going by faster than she thought it did. Suddenly, a voice rang through the speakers, followed by an image of a black and white bear appearing on the monitor.

“Hello, my students! This is Monokuma, and I have a very special announcement! Please come to the gym as soon as you are able to, which needs to happen immediately! It is absolutely important that you attend!” Monokuma announced, his childish voice ringing through the speakers once again. 

Hesitantly, Megumi got out of bed and quickly prepared herself for whatever the bear planned. Not listening to whoever had control of Monokuma would simply lead to disaster, and in the worst case scenario, punishment. She was the last to arrive, and Monokuma started his speech.

“Hello, my students! Monokuma has returned, and please prebear for a chilling announcement!” Monokuma chuckled at his own joke, while continuing on with his speech. “It appears nobody has been stabbed, bludgeoned, drowned, burned, or broken yet! So it is now time that I must interfere with this game! I will provide you all a very special thing - A motive.”

“To make us kill...?” Shinichiro asked to no one, while in deep thought, seeming to be theorizing about Monokuma’s intentions, and having  
blurted out what his mind went to.

“Yeah, what the hell are we supposed to do with a motive?!” Chinatsu interrupted, yelling out in an exasperated tone. Most people backed away from her, afraid she would do something reckless and be punished.

“Puhuhu~ Please don’t be impatient, my students... I will explain everything shortly.” Monokuma grinned at Chinatsu’s impatience. “This motive is to help motivate and inspire you all to commit murder. It is a video meant to evoke emotions within you, a memory you have yet to remember. Here, for you all!”

Monokuma threw DVDs at all the students, and each of them caught their particular DVDs one by one. Monokuma then disappeared, leaving behind a group of confused students holdings their DVDs in their hands.

“Everyone, let’s go to the video room. We need to see what these videos hold.” Megumi announced, starting towards the video room, ushering for everyone to follow her. Everyone reluctantly agreed with no words of conflict being yelled out.

“Yes, it is best to move on forward. Overreacting will just lead to disaster. Come on, everyone.” Ryouichi agreed, walking next to Megumi and near the gym doors. Everyone followed the two, hesitation and worry filling their minds.

Ryouichi pressed his hand on the door handle, as everyone stood behind him. “Everyone, be aware, these videos may show harmful things. It is best if you do not overreact, as that is what Monokuma wishes us to do. If you think you’ll get emotional by whatever is shown on the video, then it is best to not watch it.” Ryouichi said calmly, observing everyone’s shaking bodies and fearful expressions. 

Akiri quickly handed him the video, and turned away from everyone else. Afterwards, Katsu also walked up to Ryouichi and pressed the video in his hand. Lastly, Michiko handed it over to Ryouichi, seeming to have come to the decision after the first two did. Besides the few, no one gave up their videos. Everyone believed they were strong enough to handle whatever was going to be shown, strong enough to handle the anger, the sadness, the pressure, and the longing to escape. One by one, they entered the room, all silent from the tension. Everyone played their videos at once, awaiting what was going to be shown. 

Megumi felt some tension in her shoulders loosen up when she saw what was on the video. It was the first competition she had ever won. She didn’t know it was recorded. Megumi saw herself, smiling happily as her name was announced. While staring at the video intently, she noticed something that made her pause: her eyes flitting to her mother’s, who seemed content with Megumi’s success.

That was probably what made that moment so special, even if her stomach initially twisted and turned in guilt — and still made herself guilty when she dwelled on it.

She had sabotaged another performer, that day. It was a girl that she knew could very well win against Megumi — but Megumi had to win. 

Her eyes were glued on her past self grabbing the award, with a grin that stretched up to her eyes, staring at her mother in the corner of her eye, every step she took. She wore her costume proudly, and Megumi felt nostalgic for the days spent practicing for that competition, and falling in love with it. Megumi could feel the happiness of winning the competition still bubble inside her, however dim compared to when she first won. 

Megumi felt the urge to compete in a competition again.

Was that what Monokuma was going for?

Megumi couldn’t even speak. She wasn’t angry, or upset, but she was happy and inspired, yet shocked at the same time. The memory of that lead her to her future, and lead her to opportunities she couldn’t have dreamed of at that time. That memory was precious to her, and she knew why they played that memory. It was to motivate them to escape, and to experience such happiness once again. To see such things would fuel their desire to be in the presence of those who were in the memory once again. Though, she had one question in her mind. How did they get access to her memories?

Honoka pulled back from the video happily, with a stupid grin on her face. “I was so excited that day,“ She seemed to be reflecting on the memory.

On the other side of the room from Honoka was Shinichiro, who had a peaceful, contented expression. “How’d they get this?” He murmured to himself.

Shiori looked like he had achieved something, suddenly holding himself with more pride. He didn’t say anything. Michiko, who was next to Shiori, asked him what the video was like. Shiori ignored her.

Yoshiaki stood next to Katsu, holding onto him while he stared at the video, his eyes seeming nostalgic.

“What... what the hell is this crap?!” Chinatsu yelled out, stepping back out of shock. “How did they get access to my memory like this?! Even I haven’t created anything that can do that...”

“That moment... I remember it well. When I saved my family...” Haruka said, closing her eyes and smiling. “I miss her so much.”

“So my happiest moment... it was that...” Kazuki spoke out loud, contrary to his usual silence. “I’m glad it was her.”

Chouko and Haruto were completely silent, unable to react with anything but solemn, despondent expressions. 

“So, it appears everyone received something similar, their happiest moments. A clever trick of Monokuma to pull. I wonder how these memories were accessible, but no matter. Everyone, I warned you of the consequences of seeing these videos. If you end up committing murder...” Ryouichi paused, his face completely serious. “We will find out, and you will be executed. It’d be your fault your emotions overtook your mind.”

 

Everyone didn’t look at each other. They all remained in a silence that they never would understand, never would comprehend. The silence was deafening. It was when one person collapsed was when the silence broke.

“Urgh!” Shiori collapsed on the ground, and held his stomach tightly, his whole body cowering in a ball. His cry of passion alerted everyone in the room, and Yoshiaki was the first one to run to him.

“Shiori! Are you okay? Do you need help?” Yoshiaki asked, holding Shiori up and putting his arm around Shiori so he didn’t collapse again.

“I… I need to go to the Nurse’s Room. I can’t handle this… ugh!” Another wave of pain erupted in Shiori’s body, filling every vein in his being. He felt an unbearable fear throughout his mind, a fear that something terrible would happen.

“We need two people to watch over him… Now that there’s a motive, anybody here could commit murder because of their own reasons. He could easily be murdered if we left him in the Nurse’s Room alone.” Megumi stated, putting another arm around Shiori.

“I volunteer.” Haruto announced, raising his hand in the air. “I don’t want anybody here to die. Nobody has to die here. We can’t let Shiori suffer alone, can we? We’re foolish idiots if we do that. Who will join me in watching over Shiori?”

“I will.” Yoshiaki responded, fearful of what will happen to Shiori. “I can’t let anything happen to one of my only friends.”

“Okay, then it is decided. Everyone, let’s go to bed, while Yoshiaki and Haruto watch over Shiori and make sure he feels better by tomorrow.” Megumi declared to everyone, putting Shiori back in Yoshiaki’s arms. 

“Thank you… Megumi.” Shiori said with a slight smile, chuckling a bit as he did. He seemed much weaker than he had just a while ago, looking half like he was about to pass out. Megumi nodded, as everyone left the room while Haruto and Yoshiaki carried Shiori to the Nurse’s Room. 

Megumi jumped in her bed, and pulled the blanket over her own body. It felt cold in the room, a foreboding mist causing her to shiver in her own dormitory room. A motive was announced, everyone but Katsu, Michiko, and Akiri watched their videos, and Shiori suddenly got sick. Today was a day that marked where the killing game was really meant to begin, a game of life and death, where there was only one atrocious way to win. Megumi closed her eyes, and tried to get comfortable in her own bed. It was to no avail. She forced herself to sleep, and awaited the morning.

That was until when, eight hours later, she heard two loud screams. She immediately jumped out of bed, and ran to the location in which she heard the yells. She was met with a sight that frightened her to no end, and scene where she could never be able to be cured from. Yoshiaki and Haruto were in the Nurse’s office, both with shocked, terrified expressions. They were completely stationary, not moving their bodies in the slightest, paralyzed from shock. 

Shiori was laying in the middle of the Nurse’s Room, his body rolled into a ball. The floor was covered in inconsistent splatters of blood all over the room, followed by a pile of pills on the ground near Shiori’s hand. He was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback’s always appreciated, as always. What’s your opinion on the death? Any guesses on who the killer is?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Welcome to the end of the first part of the prologue! Lilac and I would appreciate any feedback! 
> 
> Not all of the characters have been introduced yet (they’ll be introduced in the next part of the prologue.) I hope you liked the first part of the prologue. Any ideas on where the plot will go, or any characters you already like/dislike? Anything we could work on?
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading this far!


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